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Caged patients to be freed after Rowling protest

THE Czech Republic has introduced a ban on the use of iron cages for residents of psychiatric homes after an investigation by The Sunday Times provoked an international wave of protest led by the author J K Rowling, writes Justin Sparks.

Pressure is set to continue on the country, however, as the cages have not yet been banned in children’s social care homes.

The author of the Harry Potter books described the caging of children and mentally handicapped patients as “torture” and called for an end to the practice last weekend.

The response to Rowling’s appeal was almost immediate. Last Tuesday Jozef Kubinyi, the Czech minister of health, issued an order to remove all iron cages from psychiatric clinics across the country and to stop using wire cages by the end of the year.

“This is a brave step by the minister,” said Rowling. “But resources and training need to